No. 5 Oregon (10-1, 7-1) at No. 16 Oregon State (8-2, 6-2) 3 p.m. ET (Pac-12 Network)
Line: Oregon by 9 1/2.
Series Record: Oregon leads, 59-46-10.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Oregon got derailed on its way to the Pac-12 championship game last week with a 17-14 loss to Stanford. The Ducks, who dropped from the top spot in the rankings with the loss, can still go to the league title game, but they’ll have to beat Oregon State and they’ll need Pac-12 South winner UCLA to beat Stanford on Saturday at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles. The Cardinal also have just one conference loss, so if they defeat UCLA, they win the tie-breaker for the North.
KEY MATCHUP
Oregon’s offense against Oregon State’s defense. Stanford’s defense gave the Beavers a blueprint on how to beat the Ducks by playing old-fashioned, physical D. Oregon has the fourth-ranked offense in the country, averaging 548.3 yards a game, and the fifth-best rushing offense with 313.5 yards a game. The Beavers, meanwhile, have the nation’s No. 14 rushing defense, allowing opponents only 108.7 yards on the ground per game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Oregon State: WR Markus Wheaton. The senior is averaging nearly 100 receiving yards a game, and, interestingly, beat Oregon speedy running back De’Anthony Thomas in a 100-yard dash this past spring. Wheaton has 205 career receptions, and needs 18 more catches to become the school’s career leader. He needs 14 more receiving yards to reach 1,000 for the season.
Oregon: RB Kenjon Barner. The senior, who is averaging 129.6 yards rushing per game, was held to just 66 yards by Stanford. In what could be his last game at Autzen Stadium, Barner needs two rushing touchdowns to tie pal LaMichael James’ school single-season mark of 21.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Beavers are recognizing the 50th anniversary of Terry Baker’s Heisman Trophy-winning season at Oregon State. Baker led the 1962 Beavers team to a 9-2 record and a victory over Villanova in the Liberty Bowl. The lone Oregon State Heisman winner will be honored in a pre-game ceremony. … It is the 116th playing of the Civil War rivalry game, the most contested rivalry game in the Pac-12. … The Beavers have been ranked in the AP Top 25 for a school-record nine weeks. … It is the fourth time that both teams are ranked for the Civil War, the last was in 2009, when Oregon was No. 7 and Oregon State was No. 13.
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